Press - American Rhythm
San Diego Union Tribune, June 2016 - Review of "American Rhythm"
"Kiana Bell is a versatile wonder on everything from Irving Berlin’s ’20s-era “What’ll I Do?” to the ’40s classic “Blues in the Night” (aka “My Mama Done Tol’ Me), which also gets an evocative sax solo from Stefanie Schmitz"
"Each actor gets a turn in the spotlight over the course of the show, whose rhythms ring out thanks to a cooking seven-piece band (under Eggington’s musical direction) that sometimes joins in the singing."
Press - Fiddler on the Roof
Los Angeles Examiner, 5/28/13 - "Lamb’s Players Theatre serves up a lively 'Fiddler on the Roof'":
"Stefanie Schmitz and her fiery clarinet give the klezmer sound another dimension."
"Artistic director Robert Smyth, who is co directing with his wife Deborah Gilmour Smyth, introduces a Klezmer band and sound with band leader Mark Danisovszky at the keyboards and accordion and six talented musicians. It definitely adds a new dimension not seen in other productions of ‘Fiddler”.
San Diego Union Tribune, 5/25/13 - "A 'Fiddler' with a musical twist":
"Stefanie Schmitz's clarinet is especially evocative..."
San Diego Story - "A Triumphant Fiddler for Lamb’s Players":
"In my book, the musical stars were the instrumentalists, Ernest Saucedo’s endearing village Fiddler and band leader Mark Danisovszky. Saucedo bowed his dulcet violin refrains while perched high above the stage on a roof peak, defying gravity and perhaps winning the winking approval of painter Marc Chagall from his celestial easel. The reedy sounds and knowing riffs from Danisovszky’s accordion gave the band its appropriate klezmer flavor, tastefully decorated by clarinetist Stefanie Schmitz, cellist Diana Elledge and Saucedo—when he was not fiddling upon the roof."
"Comparing the brawny revival of Fiddler on the Roof that Coronado’s Lamb’s Players Theatre opened this weekend to the trifling, newly minted juke box musicals of the present is a little depressing. And it’s not just Fiddler’s 25-member singing and dancing cast, its score replete with memorable melodies, and a book that is nothing less than a cultural treasure trove."
"Stefanie Schmitz and her fiery clarinet give the klezmer sound another dimension."
"Artistic director Robert Smyth, who is co directing with his wife Deborah Gilmour Smyth, introduces a Klezmer band and sound with band leader Mark Danisovszky at the keyboards and accordion and six talented musicians. It definitely adds a new dimension not seen in other productions of ‘Fiddler”.
San Diego Union Tribune, 5/25/13 - "A 'Fiddler' with a musical twist":
"Stefanie Schmitz's clarinet is especially evocative..."
San Diego Story - "A Triumphant Fiddler for Lamb’s Players":
"In my book, the musical stars were the instrumentalists, Ernest Saucedo’s endearing village Fiddler and band leader Mark Danisovszky. Saucedo bowed his dulcet violin refrains while perched high above the stage on a roof peak, defying gravity and perhaps winning the winking approval of painter Marc Chagall from his celestial easel. The reedy sounds and knowing riffs from Danisovszky’s accordion gave the band its appropriate klezmer flavor, tastefully decorated by clarinetist Stefanie Schmitz, cellist Diana Elledge and Saucedo—when he was not fiddling upon the roof."
"Comparing the brawny revival of Fiddler on the Roof that Coronado’s Lamb’s Players Theatre opened this weekend to the trifling, newly minted juke box musicals of the present is a little depressing. And it’s not just Fiddler’s 25-member singing and dancing cast, its score replete with memorable melodies, and a book that is nothing less than a cultural treasure trove."
Press - Choro Sotaque
San Diego Troubadour, April 2015 - "CD Reviews":
"The trio of Choro Sotaque has released their first disk, an EP of five tunes that will leave many listeners tapping their toes and wanting to hear more of this band’s charming and sweet music."
"Guitarist Marcus Alcantarilla and percussionist Halysson da Silva are both from Brazil, and I don’t believe that I’m wrong in guessing that they grew up playing choro. The rhythmic backup they provide is solid and filled with spirit. I think they could fall off a truck and not skip a beat. Stefanie Schmitz, who plays clarinet and saxophone, is American born, but her dedication to choro is apparent with this release."
"The engineering and other recording techniques for this disk are top notch. Altogether a very good EP. I’m eager to here more from this delightful trio."
San Diego Union Tribune, 4/23/15 - "Adams Ave. Unplugged a tuneful marathon":
"True to its name, the San Diego trio specializes in choro, the intricate and often ebullient Brazilian music style that took root in the 1800s. Happily, its appeal transcends borders, as befits a music that combines twisting melodies and infectious rhythms."
"The trio of Choro Sotaque has released their first disk, an EP of five tunes that will leave many listeners tapping their toes and wanting to hear more of this band’s charming and sweet music."
"Guitarist Marcus Alcantarilla and percussionist Halysson da Silva are both from Brazil, and I don’t believe that I’m wrong in guessing that they grew up playing choro. The rhythmic backup they provide is solid and filled with spirit. I think they could fall off a truck and not skip a beat. Stefanie Schmitz, who plays clarinet and saxophone, is American born, but her dedication to choro is apparent with this release."
"The engineering and other recording techniques for this disk are top notch. Altogether a very good EP. I’m eager to here more from this delightful trio."
San Diego Union Tribune, 4/23/15 - "Adams Ave. Unplugged a tuneful marathon":
"True to its name, the San Diego trio specializes in choro, the intricate and often ebullient Brazilian music style that took root in the 1800s. Happily, its appeal transcends borders, as befits a music that combines twisting melodies and infectious rhythms."